Mail-box signal.



G. W. CARVER. MAIL BOX SIGNAL.

APyLIoATIoN FILED JULY 17, 191s.

Patented July 7, A19-14,

w 'Q Name/Moc f'l/gf GEORGE W. CARVER, 0F CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.

MAIL-BOX SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 7, 1914.

Application led .Tuly 17, 1913. Serial No. 779,588.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE W. CARVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Charleston, in the county of Charleston and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Maih Box Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention comprehends improvements in mail box signals and relates more particu larly to those which are especially adapted for use in rural communities to give notice of the fact that mail has been deposited in the box.

Cne of the objects of the invention resides in the provision of a mail box including a pivoted semaphore or signal arm which is normally held in a horizontal position and which is automatically released so as to swing into a vert-ical position when the door of the mail box is opened.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a mail box signal which shall be of simple construction, cheap to manufacture, and very practical and useful.

With these and other objects in view, as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in cer tain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my signal, and, Fig. 2 is a top plan view.

Referring in detail to the drawing by numerals, 5 designates a mail box having a door 6 pivoted at its lower edge so that when the door is swung downwardly the box is opened.

7 designates a suitable support for the mail box.

Rural mail boxes are positioned near to the roadway and are usually a considerable distance from the dwelling so it is necessary to provide some sort of signal to apprise inhabitants of the dwelling that mail has been deposited in the box. To accomplish this 1 provide a dial 8 supported upon a standard 9 and located in such a position that it may be easily seen from the dwelling. A semaphore or signal arm 1Q is supported on the dial 8 by means of a horizontal pivot 11. This pivot is located nearerto one end of the arm than to the other and the short arm 12 is provided with a weight 13 which causes the semaphore to swing to a vertical position. A flag or signal plate 13 is carried on the free extremity of the long arm of the semaphore.

A trigger 14 is pivotally secured at its lower end to the dial 8 and is adapted to engage the short arm of the semaphore to hold the latter in a horizontal position. A wire 15 or some other suitable connection is secured at one end to the free extremity of the trigger 14 and at its other end to an arm 16 attached to the door 6 of the mail box. The arm 16 may be formed with a laterally extending handle 17, which when swung downwardly, causes the door 6 to open. A contractile spiral spring 18 connected at one end to the dial 8 and at the other end to the trigger 14, tends to hold the trigger 14 in a vertical position and to return said trigger to such position after the opened door is released.

When the semaphore or signal is held in the position shown in Fig. 1, the box 5 is supposed to be empty. When a carrier desires to deposit mail in the box he grasps the handle 17 and swings the door downwardly to open the box. This downward movement of the door causes the wire 15 to draw the trigger 14 from under the weighted end of the semaphore whereupon said semaphore will swing into a vertical position, as illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. When the door is released the contractile spring 18 will swing the trigger back into its vertical position and close the door.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent that I have provided a very simple mail box signal which will automatically swing into a vertical position when the door of the mail box is opened preparatory to depositing the mail matter therein.

It is to be understood that any suitable means may be provided for supporting the semaphore and trigger and that various other changes may be made in the structure of the device provided such changes do not constitute a departure from the scope and spirit of the invention as Claimed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:-

1. The combination with a mail box having a swinging door, of a support spaced a considerable distance from said box, a signal arm pivotally secured intermediate its ends to said support, a weight secured to one end of said arm, whereby the latter is held normally in a vertical position, a trigger pivoted to said support to engage under the weighted end of the signal arm to hold said arm in a horizontal position, and a connection between said trigger and mail box door,

whereby, when the door is opened, the triggerwill be pulled from engagement with the weighted end of the signal arm.

2. The combination with a mail box having a swinging door, of a support spaced from said box, a signal arm pivoted intermediate its ends to said support7 a weight secured adjacent one end of the signal arm whereby the arm tends to assume a vertical position, a trigger' pivoted at its lower end to said support and adapted to engage the weighted end of the swinging arm to hold said arm in a horizontal position, and a flexible connection secured at one end to the free end of the trigger and at its other end to the door of the mail box, the opening of said door withdrawing the trigger from engagement with the signal arm.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. CARVER. Witnesses:

CLAIRE OBRIEN, E. T. GAINEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

